Apparatus for gauging and grading leather



Dec. 30, 1952 R. 5. HAY ETAL APPARATUS FOR GAUGING AND GRADING LEATHER 2SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed April 25, 1951 INVENTOR. Randal: a. H Herman I? WanM g e all-div ATTORNEY Dec. 30, 1952 R. G. HAY ETAL APPARATUS FORGAUGING AND GRADING LEATHER Filed April 25, 1951 2 Sl-IEETS--SHEET 2fiandaZA' gF j ily Hermon F Van wy ATTORNEY 'IIIIII/ll/IIIIIIJ PatentedDec. 30, 1952 APPARATUS FOR GAUGING AND GRADKN'G LEATHER Randall G. Hay,Jenkintown, and Hermon F. Van Wye, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application April 25, 1951, Serial No. 222,917

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for gauging andgrading leather, whereby to ascertain the direct percentage relatron ofgood leather to the total area of leather in a hide or skin underinspection, as a preliminary to cutting same. This constitutes animprovement upon the apparatus disclosed in application Serial Number127,362, filed November 15, 1949.

As is pointed out in said application, leather as furnished by thetanner is in bundles of generally similar sizes and weights of hides orskins, and of generally similar qualities. The user of the leather,such, for instance, as a, shoe manufacturer, is concerned not only thathe receive the quality and weight as well as the area of leatherpurchased, but also with the cutting quality of the leather. The graderfor the manufacturer, surveying the respective hides or skins, mustobserve the grain of the leather, i. e., whether fine, medium fine,medium, coarse, or raspy and While mentally retaining this value mustalso determine the degree of brokenness of the leather. This basicfactor of brokenness is affected in degree by numerous hide defects,including imperfections such as briar scratches, pits, excessive veins,fat wrinkles, prominent backbone, roughness around the head, softness inthe flank, etc., all of which have to be observed and allowed for inrelation to the total area of the skin or hide.

The determination of the quality of leather is possessed of numerousdifficulties which have militated against the success of previouspractices, such as represented by the patent to Reymond, Reissue No,15,744, for instance. Factors in the approach to the problem include thenecessity that the leather be rotected against creasing or wrinklingbeyond a certain relatively small amount, as sharp creases or wrinklesre main in the hide to. alter its usefulness for its intended purposes,as to reduce it in grade or even cause it to become scrap. In addition,any apparatus for the scanning of hides must be so designed that inaddition to the provision of visual scanning of the upper surface of theleather, opportunity must be given for physical stroking thereof by thefingers of the operator, for the purpose of locating the grain, and alsolocating imperfectionsthat may exist which may not be readily visible.

In the apparatus of said application, very effective and better resultshave been attained than by any device of the prior art. However,according to the primary teaching of said application the anvil memberwas relatively inflexible, and the complemental rods forcing the leatherinto the V-shaped channels formed by the anvil member under excesspressure might form creases or compression scars between the imposed rodand the stationary channels where the stretching of the leather bendingabout the rods was secured by constriction against the V-shaped channelsof the anvil.

It is, therefore, among the primary objects of this invention to cheapenthe construction of a leather-scanning apparatus; to provide an anvilmember with sheet metal forming devices capable of slight yieldingresiliently under the pressure of leather pressed thereagainst by acomp1 mental rod; to provide a, device which, while disclosing at leastof the leather to visual observation, secures this result by minimizedcompression and creasing of the leather; to provide a leather scanninganvil and platten organization in which rods on the platten are ofsmaller diameter than the effective width of a truncated V-shapedchannel member on the anvil, whereby only the thickest leather hasopposite surfaces under compression between a rod and the flaringchannel walls; and to provide other objects and improvements as willhereinafter appear.

In carrying out the invention in an illustrative embodiment, a fixed,generally planar, compressing member is provided comprising a pluralityof elongated rods in parallel relation, with which a plurality ofrelatively short cross rods are associated, for leather-stretchingassociation with an anvil comprised of a plurality of sheet metalmembers each having four bent sides forming four sides of four channelsto receive such rods, which sheet metal members are capable of slightyielding resiliently under pressure to minimize the scoring or creasingof the leather, and so spaced as to preclude actual compressing creasingof the leather by and between the complemental rods and channels, to theend that compression and creasing of the leather is minimized, whileadequate stretching and obser vation of at least 90% of the uppersurface of a stretched hide is secured.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a fragmentary plan of the assembly of the anvil andplatten organization with the platten engaging and stretching anillustrative hide or skin.

Fig. 2 represents a fragmentary enlarged plan of a complete rectangularunit with a stretched hide engaged between the anvil and platten.

Fig. 3 represents afragmentary perspective of the anvil and plattenorganization with the latter broken away to more clearly show thechannel formation of the anvil, and with the anvil broken away to showthe side member thereof.

Fig. 4 represents a fragmentary vertical section through part of theassembly of Fig. 3, taken parallel to the hinge strip of the platten.

Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary vertical section through part of theassembly of Fig. 3, taken transversely of the hinge strip of theplatten.

Fig. 6 represents a fragment of the platten rod and a portion of achannel-defining wall, showing the relations thereof to a piece ofleather stretched between them, in full lines, and showing the relationsof the parts incident to slight flexing of the channel member withincreased stretching of the leather piece incident to greatercompression exerted thereon.

The simplified and cheapened anvil structure will first be described,and reference may be had to Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive. For this formation abed plate I is provided, which may well be of metal if desired, butwhich is preferably a sheet of plywood. A plurality of stamped bentsheet metal channel-defining members I I are provided, as shown in Figs.3, 4, and 5, each comprises a flat bottom plate portion I2 apertured tore ceive attaching screws or the like l3, for secure parallel attachmentto the upper surface It of the bed plate. Each of the formin members IIcomprises a rectangular plate portion I2 provided with four mutuallyindependent bent-up side walls I4, at an acute angle to the plateportion I2, and each having the reentrantly curved apices I formed bythe mergence of walls I4 into the short inwardly extending terminals It.For identification herein the respective individual sloping walls I4 oneach unit are given characters A, B, C, and D. The respective walls ofeach unit are spaced from each other by a space formed by a cut-out inthe blank from which the units are formed so that the respective wallsare independent of each other, and all of the apices of all walls lie ina general common plane parallel to the upper surface ID of the bedplate. In the preferred embodiment of the units, the sheet metal has arelatively thin gauge with inherent resilience so as to be susceptibleto slight flexing under leather-stretching compression, in order furtherto minimize creasing or marking of the leather.

The respective units are mounted rigidly on the base plate III in apattern, in which all of the sloping walls A and C are in parallelaligned relation across the bed plate, and in which the sloping walls Band D are in parallel aligned relation along the bed plate, and so thatthe respective juxtaposed Walls C and A and the respective juxtaposedwalls'B and D of the units mutually define with the bed plate areas I9defined by oppositely sloping walls, truncated V- shaped channels. Thesechannels in one dimension are identified as channels E and in the otherdimension, normal to the first, as channels F.

In order to complete the survey field formed by the plurality of unitsII the marginal edges of the multiplicity of units is finished by fourboundary channel members 20, 20, extending respectively the full widthof the examining table in the bent members G,. and the full length ofthe examining table in the bent members H. These marginal members G andH comprise an anchoring flange member 24, integral with inclined wall 2|leading to the curved apex 22,

forming a reentrant curve with the terminal end 23. The inclined walls2| are struck up from a planar base member 24, secured to the baseplate, in such manner that the inclined walls 2I form with therespective side walls A or B, or C, or D, a channel E or F of thetruncated V shape formed with the outlined areas I9 of the bed plate bythe units inside of the boundary margins.

The whole just described defines a plurality of generally resilientchannels, in a series of parallel center lines in one dimension,intersected by a plurality of parallel center lines in the otherdimension, considerin the center lines of the channels as in verticalplanes bisecting the oppositely sloping walls and intersecting the areasI9 of the bed plate.

For cooperation with the channels just described of the anvil, a plattenis provided having bars and rods which in essence conform to the patternof channels E and F respectively of the anvil, in order to compress andstretch the hide or skin imposed in generally planar form on the anvil.As disclosed in said application, a fixed housing 30 is provided havingthe vertical slot 3I at each end of the anvil, and if desired atintermediate portions thereof. A horizontal pivot strip 32 is mountedparallel to the plane of the bed plate in said vertical slots, normallyurged toward the bottom of said slots by the compres sion springs 33,restrained at their upper ends by the adjustable member 34, for varyingthe compression. At intervals, coinciding with the center lines of thechannels F and F, supp0rting strips or bars 35 of planar strip or sheetmetal are fused, welded, or brazed to the pivot bar or strip 32, andextend the full width of the surveying table, in vertical extensionbisecting the respective fore and aft channels F and F. This furnishes aplurality of parallel rods extendin fore and aft of the surveying table,and these may be joined at the front by a handle rod or bar 36projecting in or toward the front of the surveyin table.

On each fore and aft bar 35 an elongated tubular cylindrical rod 3! ismounted, rigidly, and preferably the rods 31 are smaller in externaldiameter than the width of the areas IQ of the bed plate.

In order to form the platten into a grid formation, with parallel linesextending in cross relation to define a series of parallelograms, aplurality of short strap bars 38 are provided, each comprising a linearmiddle portion and oppositely extending respective terminal ends 40 and4!, in perpendicularity to the middle portion and in mutual parallelismwith each other. On the lower edges of part of the middle portion 38, ashort hollow cylindrical tubular rod 42 is rigidly mounted. The freeterminal ends of the respective cross bars are juxtaposed to and imposelaterally against the respective fore and aft sup porting bars 35, inalternately reversed position, so that two ends 40 are in transversealignment so as to be simultaneously anchored in triple thickness withand to the central fore and aft supporting bars. The fastening can be byany suitable means such as by welding, brazing or the like, and forsimplicity will be shown as by throughbolts and nuts 50. The free endsof the respective cross bars, imposed against the next adjacent fore andaft bars will extend together in the opposite direction, so that in thetransverse series every other pair of terminals extend rearwardly andthe intermediate ones extend forwardly. This organization is extremelycheap and simple to fabricate and assemble and pro vides a grid of rods.formed of parallel elongated through fore .and aft rods, intersected bytransversely extending aligned rods in parallel series. Each rod is ofsmaller diameterthan the narrowest width of channels, and the centerlines of all tubular members lie in a common plane, which in the use ofthe device with .a hide or skin stretched loosely on the anvil, throughthe yielding permitted by the resilient hinge described, assumesparallelism with the general plane common to the apices of therespective walls of the forming members.

In the operation of the device the leather to be inspected is laid out.and made as smooth as possible on the anvil, with the platten raisedand out of the way. The platten is then swung or otherwise lowered intocontact with the upper surface 50 of the leather piece 5! beinginspected. As the platten is pushed downwardly to a point where thelower periphery of the respective hollow rods passes .below the generalcommon plane of the apices I5 of the fixed anvil units, the leather isimposed against the respective apices under slight tension. As thepressure increases and the platten moves downwardly as a substantialunit, the leather becomes stretched further in a central area 54 definedby the four apices l5 of the respective walls A, B, C, and D, of a givenunit, and also is stretched relative to these respective apices in areas55 from the respective apex I5 of the contiguous inclined wall to thejuxtaposed rod 31 or H. At the point of greatest stretching it will beobserved that the adjacent short lateral areas 55 have a mergence in ashort area 56, concealed under and by the respective horizontal rods,but the leather is not crimped or creased by tangential relations of therods with the oppositely sloping walls of the channel, so that markingor creasing of the leather areas 55 is by mere contact with the rod 37or 42, and by mere contact, spaced from rods 3'! or 42, with the apicesof the sloping walls of the unit. There is thus exposed a greater areaof leather for visual and physical inspection of the leather than hadbeen previously accomplished, while avoiding the compression andcreasing of the leather previously possible.

It will be understood that the descent of the platten for stretching theleather is a function of pressure applied by the operator in the normalcourse, which can be controlled by the addition of weights on theplatten, if desired, although this imposes counterweighting problems.Therefore, in some cases there may be a greater pressure used on onegroup of hides or skins than on another related group. If the parts wererigid this might result in marking some of the leather to a degreenon-existent with the other group. In this case, the resilience of therespective walls comes into play, and the excess pressure reactingthrough the hides flexes the respective side walls as shown in Fig. 6and in conjunction with the functioning of the spring hinge, equalizesthe pressures on the leather and thus minimizes the creasing or marringtendency from the excess compression by the platten. With experience, ofcourse, this tendency to use varying pressures will be corrected so faras the operator is concerned.

The simplicity, economy, and improved functioning of the apparatus willbe appreciated.

Iaving thus described our invention, we claim:

1. An apparatus for examining leather preparatory to cutting same whichcomprises a ,bed plate, a :pair of separate individuallyflexiblerinclined walls, means on the respective walls connecting themto the bed plate in general parallelisminspaced outwardly flaringrelation and in section transverse of the walls and normal to said bedplate forming an open truncated V, said walls and bed plate togetherforming an open mouth channel member, a relatively movable rod alignedwith said member and movable to permit mounting of leather on thechannel member and .into general parallelism therewith .after theleather is mounted, said rod being movable relative to the :mountedleather to stretch the leather across the channel and to hold it therein:by a fold about the rod out of contact with the channel between the:rod and the edges of the channel.

2. An apparatus for examining leather preparatory to cutting same whichcomprises a bed plate, a plurality of identical area delineators, .eacharea delineator comprising a bottom portion :for imposition against thebed plate, and four integral side walls, each side wall having an acute.angle relative to the bottom portion and terminating in .a generallycurved apex, with the respective apices in a general plane parallel tothe bottom portion and with the respective side walls spaced apart fromeach other so as to be capable of individual flexing, said plurality ofarea delineators being disposed on said bed plate with contiguous sidewalls of adjacent area delineators in spaced parallelism definingcontinuous channels in two intersecting'directions parallel to said bedplate.

3. An apparatus for examining leather preparatory to cutting same whichcomprises a bed plate, a plurality of identical area delineators, eacharea delineator comprising a bottom portion for imposition against thebed plate, four integral side walls, each side wall having an acuteangle relative to the bottom portion and terminating in a generallycurved apex, with the respective apices in a general plane parallel tothe bottom portion and with the respective side walls spaced apart fromeach other so as to be capable of individual flexing, said plurality ofarea delineators being disposed on said bed plate with contiguous sidewalls of adjacent area delineators in spaced parallelism definingcontinuous channels in two intersecting directions parallel to said bedplate, and complemental elongated side and edge members each comprisinga bottom portion on said bed plate and an inclined wall terminating in agenerally curved apex, said inclined wall coextensive across a pluralityof the area delineators in spaced relation thereto to define with therespective adjacent units additional V shaped channels.

4. An apparatus for examining leather comprising a bed plate, aplurality of identical forming units mounted on the bed plate andforming with each other a plurality of continuous V- shaped channels intwo dimensions of the bed plate, each forming unit comprising agenerally rectangular member having four respective sloping wallssloping toward the center of the unit, each wall terminating in agenerally curved upper apex, said plurality of forming units mounted onthe bed plate with the respective walls of contiguous pairs of unitsoppositely sloping with the apices presenting away from the bed plate todefine a channel closed at the bottom by an exposed area of the bedplate.

5. An apparatus for examining leather comprising a bed plate, aplurality of identical forming units mounted on the bed plate andforming with each other a plurality of continuous V- shaped channels intwo dimensions of the bed plate, each forming unit comprising agenerally rectangular member having four respective sloping wallssloping toward the center of the unit, each wall terminating in agenerally curved upper apex, said plurality of forming units mounted onthe bed plate with the respective walls of contiguous pairs of unitsoppositely sloping with the apices presenting away from the bed plate todefine a channel closed at the bottom by an exposed area of the bedplate, and means including complemental rods forming a platten anddisposed for registration with the general center lines of therespective channels.

6. An apparatus for examining leather comprising a bed plate, aplurality of identical forming units mounted on the bed plate andforming with each other a plurality of continuous V- shaped channels intwo dimensions of the bed plate, each forming unit comprising agenerally rectangular member having four respective sloping wallssloping toward the center of the unit, each wall terminating in agenerally curved upper apex, said plurality of forming units mounted onthe bed plate with the respective walls of contiguous pairs of unitsoppositely sloping with the apices presenting away from the bed plate todefine a channel closed at the bottom by an exposed area of the bedplate, and means including complemental rods forming a platten anddisposed for registration with the general center lines of therespective channels, said rods having a diameter not greater than thewidth of the area of bed plate between contiguous walls.

RANDALL G. HAY.

HERMON F. VAN WYE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re.15,744 Reymond Jan. 8, 1924233,361 Lummus Oct. 19, 1880 237,836 Dupuy Feb. 15, 1881 1,568,183Reymond Jan. 5, 1926 1,931,297 Reiser Oct. 17, 1933

